104th Paris - Roubaix Reactions
Team and Rider Comments to a "Sunday in Hell" at the 104th Edition of Paris -
Roubaix.

Team CSC"It's a totally indescribable feeling. I
find it hard to put it into words, but it's definitely the greatest moment in my
entire career. The whole team has a big stake in this victory because we've
worked hard for a long time with this in mind," said a much moved Fabian
Cancellara after the day's 259 tough kilometers.

Cancellara:
It's something I've always wanted to do. In the last few years it hasn't been
all okay, but I was just allowed to run my race and it was perfect. I knew that Tom Boonen wasn't in very good shape, so I
knew I had to attack. He [Boonen] is so strong, but I knew if I used my head I
would finish in a great victory."

"This is perhaps the biggest result in
the history of the team; it is most definitely one of them, but of course it's
hard to compare the different races. In my eyes Paris-Roubaix is the most
spectacular one day race of them all, and the way Fabian won it shows his great,
great class," was Bjarne Riis' satisfied comment after the victory, which also
resulted in Team CSC capturing the number one spot in the ProTour Rankings.

Quick Step/InnergeticTom Boonen: “I
was good enough to win the race, but not in super form, like last week at the
Tour of Flanders. I am a bit angry, for sure, but it’s maybe not so bad that
someone else wins. Cancellara was the strongest man of the race, his victory is
therefore deserved.”

RabobankAdri van Houwelingen (Asst. Directeur Sportif): “That early escape
cost a lot of energy. That group was too small with four men and they had to
fight, at first, to keep the gap from the peloton. Joost [Posthuma] did his work
superbly, nonetheless.

“Three times I asked Flecha what he was
doing, but that didn’t help” laughed van Houwelingen. “It is unnatural for that
boy to ride with the hand brake. His way of riding is appropriate as the way we
ride at our team. Open, offensively and attractively. It is better to become
seventh in the manner of Flecha than third in that of Van Petegem’s. Where would
cycle racing be if we only had calculating riders?

“Perhaps Flecha could have used his
energy more economically, but still he could not have covered Cancellara‘s
attack]. They were the best today.”

T-Mobile"The team gave it their all. We were
represented in every break. Stephan (Schreck)was away for a long time and he
also put Steffen (Wesemann) in a good position," said sporting director Valerio
Piva. "I believe Steffen did everything right. He hasn't raced for two
weeks and his training has been limited, so in the end he just didn't have the
legs to stick with it."

Bouygues Telecom(On Arnaud Labbe going with the leaders
through Arenberg) Team manager Jean-Rene Bernaudeau: “He was always in front. I’m very
content, especially considering that it’s his first Paris-Roubaix and he didn’t
know the parcours.”

On the finish line, he finished in the
company of Anthony Geslin and Franck Renier with the peloton: “Overall, it’s
satisfying,” Bernaudeau continued. “The lads fought well, they rode with honesty
and showed the jersey well. Their state of spirit was faultless.

John
Lelangue (Phonak): “Everyone
gave their maximum.”

Pietro Algeri
(Saunier Duval)a rather philosophic comment: “Every new experience is worth living [Only one of his riders - Ventoso - had ridden the race beforehand]!”